| Big River | |
| Name Etymology: | French: Grande Rivière |
| Pushpin Map: | Missouri#USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Big River Mouth |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Missouri |
| Subdivision Type5: | Cities |
| Subdivision Name5: | Caledonia, Irondale, Park Hills, Bonne Terre, Byrnes Mill |
| Length: | 145miles |
| Discharge1 Location: | Byrnesville |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 862 cu/ft. per sec.[1] |
| Source1 Location: | Iron County, Missouri, United States |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 37.6884°N -90.9662°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1318feet[2] |
| Mouth: | Meramec River |
| Mouth Location: | United States |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 38.4717°N -90.6182°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 410feet |
| Basin Size: | 955sqmi |
| Tributaries Left: | Brock Creek, Clear Creek, Furnace Creek, Hopewell Creek, Blay Creek, Cabanne Course, Bear Creek, Three Hill Creek, Maddin Creek, Mineral Fork, Ditch Creek, Maupin Creek, Jones Creek, Skullbones Creek |
| Tributaries Right: | Sam Branch, Smith Branch, Janes Creek, Dent Branch, Cedar Creek, Mill Creek, Dry Creek (Washington County), Hayden Creek, Eaton Branch, Flat River, Cedar Run, Pike Run, Coonville Creek, Bee Run, Perkins Creek, Dry Creek (Jefferson County), Belews Creek, Heads Creek |
The Big River is a tributary of the Meramec River in east-central Missouri. The river rises in western Iron County near the summit of Johnson Mountain just north of Missouri Route 32 and approximately 3.5 miles southeast of the community of Enough.[2] It flows through Washington, Saint Francois, and Jefferson counties. It forms part of the boundary between Jefferson and Saint Francois counties and also part of the boundary between Jefferson and Washington counties. It empties into the Meramec River opposite Eureka where the Meramec forms the border between Jefferson and Saint Louis counties. The river flows through Washington State Park, St. Francois State Park, and the Lead Belt mining district. The elevation of the river at its source is approximately 1300feet above sea level and at its mouth about 400feet. The length of the river is approximately,[3] while the airline distance between source and mouth is about . Its watershed area is 955sqmi.
The river flows through or near the communities of Belgrade, Irondale, Park Hills, Bonne Terre, Morse Mill, Cedar Hill, and Byrnes Mill.
Tributaries of the Big River include Flat River, Belews Creek, Turkey Creek, Mill Creek, Mineral Fork, Calico Creek, Heads Creek, Terre Bleue Creek, Ditch Creek, and Jones Creek.
Like many other Ozark streams, the Big River has entrenched meanders; its valley is typically about half a mile wide, sometimes much narrower, and the valley is usually from 150to deep. This indicates that this river formed on a plain near sea level, which give the river its meandering nature, and then was subsequently uplifted, causing entrenchment.
About 83miles are navigable; however, the remains of five small mill dams makes portage necessary, due to drops of several feet or high turbulence. Otherwise, the river is gentle for canoeing, with a Class I difficulty rating. Public parks are adjacent to most of these dams, and are popular fishing spots. Due to steady infeed of springwater, this river is navigable in all seasons.
Major pollution sources near Park Hills are due to historic mining activities, which including erosion from mine tailings piles and leaking mine dams.
Major gamefish commonly found in the river include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, rock bass, longear sunfish, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and redhorse suckers.
The name "Big River" is a translation of the French Grande Rivière.[4]
According to the National Weather Service, the maximum flood stage of the Big River at Byrnes Mill occurred on August 21, 1915, and was 30.2feet, with a flow of roughly 80000cuft per second. Flood stage at Byrnes Mill is 16feet. The lowest flow measured, 25cuft per second, was recorded on August 30, 1936. The average annual discharge here is 862cuft per second. August is the month with the lowest average flow, while April has the highest average flow.
Missouri Department of Conservation